elkins



(No Model.)

I. S. ELKINS.

. MOUTH PIECE FOR GIGARETTES.

No.249,165. Patented Nov. 8,1881.

INVENTOR:

WITNESS ESE A,

By his Attorneys; 7

N, PETERS Flmln-Lirhugmpher. wmin lqn. ay 0 25 aged in theusual way.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

IRA s. ELKINS, on NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR- OF ONE-HALF TO ETHEL c. IHINE,

. OF BROOKLYN, N. Y.

MOUTH PIECE FOR CIGARETTES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 249,165, dated November 8, 1881. Application filed December 3!, 1830. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, IRA S. ELKINs, a citizen of the United States,residin gin the city,county, and State of New York, have invented certain 5 Improvements in Mouth-Pieces for Cigarettes,

of which the following is a specification.

Themost importantrequirements of a mouthpieceforcigarettes arethatitshallbeverycheap -indeed shall cost verylittle, if anything, more than the tobacco it displaces; that it shall be very light, so that the weight of the cigarettes so provided shall not materially exceed that of cigarettes without mouth-pieces; that it shall be neutral as to taste and smell, and

1 not disagreeable to the user; that it shall be elastic and yielding to the teeth, so that the user may regulate by pressure the amount of opening through which the smoke passes; that it shall not readily absorb moisture, whereby the paper wrapper of the cigarette would become wet and soft and themouth-piece beliable to break off; and,finally, that it shall add nothing to the diameter of the cigarette, as in such a case the cigarettes could not be neatly pack- So far as I am aware, none of the various cigarette and cigar mouthpieces hitherto invented have combined all of these advantages or requirements, or any considerable proportion of them, although some 50 advantages have been possessed by all.

The object of my invention is to provide a mouth-piece for a cigarette which possesses all of the requirements enumerated above. To this end I cut from cork a cylinder having a 5 diameter equal to-that of the roll of tobacco in the cigarette for which the mouth-piece is destined, and of sufficient length to give the smoker a firm hold on it with his teeth or lips,

and leave enough free to form an attachment to the cigarette. Through this cylinder I bore or cut a-small hole, preferably in its axis, for the passage of the smoke. For the sake of economy lent the ends of the cork off square, as all attempts to round or hollow a mouth piece add to its cost, and are unnecessary. This mouth-piece is attached to the cigarette by simply rolling the paper wrapper around both tobacco and mouth-piece and securing by paste or gum, the wrapper extending part of the way over the mouth-piece, and the inclosed portion of the latter taking the place of the tobacco at that end.

In the drawings which serve to illustrate my invention, Figure l is a partial longitudinal mid-section, taken through a cigarette provided with my improved mouth-piece; and Fig.

2 is an end view of the same. Both views are somewhat more than full size.

Let A represent the ordinary wrapper of a cigarette, and B the tobacco filling. O is the 6o mouth-piece, of cork, provided with an axial bore, a, for the passage of the smoke. I have shown thewrapperas extendingoverthe mouthpiece for about one-third of its length, that being about the proportion preferred.

' The mouth-piece might be slightly tapered toward the outer end but there would be no advantage in this, and such a construction would add to the cost of making, which is a I very important consideration. r 7

The weight and cost of the mouth-piece is very nearly compensated by the weight and cost of the tobacco displaced, and yet there is no loss to the consumer, as the tobacco displaced only forms a mouth-piece for the ordinary cigarette, and is not burned. Thus I provide a cigarette with a mouth-piece which possesses all of the advantages and requirements of a perfect mouth-piece, and adds only a trifle, if anything, to the cost of the article.

A month piece cut in this way from solid cork is cheaper than when formed of cork in any other way, and it is much stronger and tougher. It also possesses elasticity enough to enable the smoker to regulate the size of the smoke-passage at will by pressure with his teeth. The nicotine from the tobacco is also prevented from reaching the mouth of the smoker.

Inlieu of a paper wrapper a tobacco or other wrapper may be employed.

I am fully aware that cigar and cigarette mouth-pieces have been made from cornstalkpith, glass, wood, stems, fibers, compressed tobacco, rattan, the; but none of these possess 5 i the characteristics of my invention. Tobaccopipes of cork with cork-stems have also been proposed; but these a'renecessarily costly, and have no bearing on the manufacture of cigar-- ettes. Cigar-holders of cork have also been Ibo suggested; but these are not mouth-pieces connected to and. forming part of a cigar or cigarette. They are not sold with the cigar or cigarette, but are intended to be used for a long time, therefore they may be hollowed out and shaped at considerable expense.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is-- v 1. A month -piece for a cigarette made of solid cork, with a longitudinal bore through it, and having, substantially, a cylindrical form, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. A cigarette comprising a wrapper, A, a

roll or filling of tobacco, B, and a mouth-piece,

C; out from solid cork, of the same size as the tobacco-roll B, and provided with a smoke passage or aperture, a, the end of said;n1outh-piece being arranged to extend into thewrapper and to displace a portion of the tobacco, Substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I hereunto subscribe my signature in the presence of two attesting witnesses, on the 10th day of December, 1880.

I. S. ELKINS.

Witnesses T. G. WOODWARD, v GEORGE LIGHTOWLER. 

